Do you know what a tooth abscess is? The dental professionals define tooth abscess as a condition of the tooth caused by bacterial infection. Tooth abscess may occur in different parts of the tooth. The dental or tooth abscess is formed as pus inside the teeth, gums, or the bones holding the teeth. Pus is a thick fluid that builds up due to infection. If the build up happened at the end of the tooth, they call it as periapical abscess, while if the build up occurred in the gum, they call it as periodontal abscess.
Only the dentist can remove the tooth abscess. In the event that it is not addressed immediately, the bacterial infection can spread to other parts of the body. This may result in other types of illness.
What are the symptoms when you have tooth abscess?
There are symptoms that can help you know if you have this tooth issue. Through these symptoms, you will be able to do actions how to treat and prevent it.
Tooth abscess causes symptoms including: First, severe pain from the affected tooth or gum. This pain spreads to other parts near the infected tooth or gum, such as the ears, jaw, or part of the neck. The pain may also lead you to have sleepless nights. Second, you can observe redness or swelling from your face. This will also bring discomfort to you. Third, the physical condition of the affected tooth can change. It may result in tooth being tender, loose or discolored. Additionally, your gums will experience redness and swelling too. Next, there will also be a presence of sensitivity in your tooth. And lastly, bad breath can also occur, including a bad taste inside your mouth.
These are symptoms are all due to tooth abscess. These symptoms may occur randomly, at different levels. It will serve as your warning and seeking help from your dentist is a must.
What are the causes of tooth abscess?
You will have this tooth condition if you don’t practice proper oral hygiene. Upon doing this and eating too much sugary foods, tooth decay occurs automatically. The tooth decay is where the infection starts. Tooth decay often leads to having this problem in your teeth.
Additionally, it occurs if you have experienced previous injury, or you have undergone a dental procedure in your teeth or gums. If this previous condition is not done well, tooth abscess can occur. Another key point, a person with other health condition, such as diabetes, is also prone to have it due to decreased strength of the immune system. A person with a lower immune system is highly prone to health risks and diseases.
What are the treatments to address it?
Let us enumerate first how you can prevent having this tooth condition.
- The number one thing that you should do is observe proper oral hygiene. Brush your teeth regularly and use dental floss.
- Avoid eating sugary foods and drinks. These will increase the possibility of having tooth decay where an infection can start, and can turn out to other oral problems.
- Do a regular visit with your dentist. They know what’s best for your teeth and how you can properly maintain its good health.
Now, if you somehow forgot about observing the preventive measures, let us now jump to the treatment part. This is in case you are already experiencing the symptoms mentioned above. As what we’ve said, tooth abscess will not go away from your tooth and gums by itself, it needs professional help. Here are the things you should do if the certain condition already exist.
- Root canal treatment: This helps in removing the abscess directly from the root. After doing this procedure, the tooth will undergo filling and sealing to finish.
- Extraction: If root canal treatment is not possible for the condition, they will permanently remove the affected tooth.
- Incision and Drainage: The dentist will put a small cut to the gum where the affected tooth is located. This is the incision process. After incision is done, the dentist will drain the abscess. However, there can still be succeeding treatments to follow after this procedure is done.
- Intake of antibiotics: In the event that the infection is already spread out to other teeth, your jaw, or your neck, the dentist will prescribe you to take antibiotics. This will help stop the continuous spread of infection.
Home remedies
In like manner, there are also home remedies that you can apply to relieve your condition. However, these are temporary measures only. A visit to your dentist is still the best option you should do to treat it directly. Here are your home remedies.
- Rinse using saltwater.
- Use baking soda.
- Apply cold compress.
- Use garlic.
- Make use of hydrogen peroxide.
Aside from the home remedies mentioned above, there are still more of it that you can find in the internet or as recommended. However, you have to be extra careful doing them. There might be side-effects that might worsen your condition.
Why continue to let yourself suffer in pain when you have plenty of options to do to prevent, treat or relive your abscess.
Still have a big question mark inside your head?
There is certainly nothing to worry about. If you want to know more details about this condition and wanted to have it treated safely and perfectly, let us know by contacting us directly.